| 1 Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” |
When we use the word “sin” we know how black it is.
We return to a garden where a single bite of a piece of fruit changes the future of each of us.
We see two boys in an open field when one strikes the other and he slumps and never gets up.
We witness a man going to a robed priest at night, whispering a plot, and finding his hand lined with silver coins.
When we stand from a distance, we can see it. But that’s not how the devil presents sin.
He doesn’t show you an ugly face.
Instead, it is smiling, encouraging, and even intriguing.
It’s only once in the trap, do we realize we are caught.
The story is told of a young Englishman who was in Germany before war broke out.
It was a time when persecution of the Jews was just beginning.
Brown shirted men would beat a Jew just for being a Jew.
Women were subjected to insults.
Windows of houses were broken, and goods were stolen, all without consequence to the thief.
The man watched as one of these hate-fueled beatings took place. It sickened him and he turned into a side street where he could escape the sight, wretching the whole way.
It happened again, but this time, the young man stopped and watched for a full minute.
The third time he watched and stared.
The next time, he stood with the jeering crowd, and the sight seemed less revolting.
He had convinced himself he was being “objective”
And with it, came the realization of his peril. This was not a part of life, a social study. It was the breath of hell.
The problem with sin is it only wants to gain a toehold in life. It doesn’t ask for acceptance, at first, Instead, just study it, be curious. Is it as bad as they say? Can we excuse it in some way.
All sin begins innocently–a piece of fruit, a bag of silver, a lingering look at a young woman bathing before the eyes of an aging king.
All it wants is a chance. And that’s all it needs.
That’s why Peter is so insistent about vigilance.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, ESV)
Recognize the danger. Resist. Say no. Don’t look.
Because the devil knows, it starts innocently. And he will wait.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
